Penguins' GM: McClement will be given good chance to make team

Jay McClement isn't being brought in to fill out the training camp roster.

The veteran center signed a tryout contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, and general manager Jim Rutherford expects McClement to be in the mix for the opening night lineup.

"He’s had good success killing penalties and winning faceoffs," Rutherford told the Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. "With what we’re looking for in the way of depth at that position, he’s going to be given a good chance to make the team."

McClement is coming off a poor season with the Carolina Hurricanes where he averaged a career-low 11:23 of ice time, won only 48.2 percent of his faceoffs, and was a negative possession player with a Corsi rating of 45.36 during even strength play.

He was dealing with a knee issue, though, and believes he can help the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.

"I’ve been feeling really good this summer physically," McClement said. "I got my body back. With the injury, it took a while to get my body back in balance. I’ve been feeling really good. For me, it’s finding that niche with some of the things that I’ve done over my career. Hopefully that can meld into a good team."

Rutherford added he looked at McClement's body of work as opposed to focusing on one season, saying "you hope that he has a good camp and shows what he’s done over his career."

The Penguins will play their first preseason game on Sept. 19.